Relative
by OptimisticPessimist12
Summary: Jenny's family comes from a bloodline, one of her ancestors being the sister of Esther Mikaelson, making the Originals being her very, very distant cousins. Though, after a tragedy that took her mother's life and almost took Jenny's life, she is taken in by Elijah, who had been in a part of her childhood. Though, nothing is all as it seems to be. Elijah, OC *no romance*
1. Chapter 1

**AU-ish. Not as AU as my other story, though. This is an idea that I have been keeping on the back burner for a while. Anyway, I've read a number of Mikaelson sibling and even offspring stories and thought I would try a different approach to it. **

**Sorry if it's a little boring at the moment, but this chapter is a group of flashbacks. The next chapter will get things rolling, hopefully.**

* * *

**Relative**

**Chapter One**

_She could remember the first time she saw him, as she remembers many things. It was both a blessing and a curse to have a memory like hers. There wasn't a storm the day he came, nor was it nightfall._

_It was actually a rather hot day in July. So hot, in fact, that she remembers sitting in front of a fan, the cool air blowing on her as she tried to work through a colourful child's book, the words confusing and frustrating her._

_It wasn't until later in life that she discovered her passion for reading, but at that time it was more of a chore. Something her mother forced her to do._

_It was on that hot summer day that someone knocked on the door. She remembers looking over the couch slightly, placing the book down on the cushion beside her. Her mother, Tasha, was tense. It was odd, seeing as she was usually very open and friendly towards people._

_And yet, she only approached the door after taking a calming breath. She watched as her mother's hand gripped the doorknob and opened the door. She couldn't see the man standing there very well, seeing as her mother did a fairly good job of blocking the doorway._

_Though, she could see that the man was tall. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but by the sound of her mother's voice it wasn't a pleasant conversation._

_Though, curiosity got the better of her and she climbed down from the couch and started to walk over towards the front door. She picked up on the end of the conversation, the man's voice was smooth and seemed calming._

_Yet, her mother's was harsh and biting, her arms tense as she gripped the door handle._

_"I understand your hostility, but I can assure you that I am not here to harm you," the man said, standing outside the door with his hands inside the pockets of his suit._

_"That does not matter," her mother stated, "you are not welcome here."_

_"Who are you talking to?"_

_Tasha turned towards her daughter, her voice softening slightly but still held a hard tone._

_"Go up to your room, Jenny," she said, Jenny looking away from her for a few moments to look at the man. She stared up at him for a few moments, something about him that made her fear him. It could have been how her mother was reacting towards him that set her off, but if her mother was scared, Jenny should be scared._

_She turned and headed towards the stairs, not looking behind her until she was in her room. She crawled across her bed and pulled back the curtain to see the man step inside the house._

* * *

_Elijah became a familiar person in her home, at least for a little while. He never stayed too long, but long enough to leave an impression. Though, the more he came around, the more her mother became hostile towards him. Jenny liked him though, she remembered sitting in the chair in the living room, her legs pulled up to her chest and watched him sometimes while he waited for her mother to return with whatever he came for._

_Sometimes he would talk to her, Jenny would answer him with a small smile. She liked being talked to by someone new, seeing as she knew what she wanted to know about her mother. Though, that would stop once her mother would snap at her and tell her not to bother him._

_It was always her fault, even if he was the one who started the conversations. But, Jenny was used to it. Her mother changed a lot since he started visiting. She became much more on edge and grouchy even._

_She started doing magic again, which Jenny was used to because she used to do it every now and then. Though, she refused to teach her anything aside from what each plant was and what they were used for. Jenny remembered a lot of the plants that her mother used, she used to be able to name them._

_But, Elijah stopped visiting as often has he used to, and he only visited when he wanted something from her mother. Usually a spell of some sort, Jenny being eight or nine once that started happening. She would help with the plants, and overheard some conversations about someone named Klaus._

_She would ask about him, but her mother would either tell her not to worry about it. Though, she did say something back to her once._

_"He's a very bad man," she said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "and as long as Elijah keeps his word, we hopefully won't have to worry about him."_

_Though, looking back, Jenny knew that Klaus was the cause of her mother's downfall._

_He didn't even have to be an active part of her life to do it._

* * *

_Seven years past, and Jenny watched her mother fall into a downward spiral. She was worried for her mental health, the things she would say would scare her. Some nights, she would scare the living hell out of her._

_But, one night, things started to take a turn for the worse. Jenny wasn't sure what caused it, but Tasha woke her up in the middle of the night. She was red eyed and looking like she hadn't slept in days, but here was a finality in her voice when she told her to get up._

_"Why? I have to get up early," Jenny questioned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She didn't go to a public school, usually being home schooled by classes online. But, she still needed to get up early in the morning._

_"You won't need to worry about that anymore, sweetheart," she muttered, turning and heading down the hall towards the stairs. Jenny slowly pulled herself out of the bed, heading over to her nightstand and pulled out her fully charged cellphone out of one of the drawers and stuffed it in her pockets. Jenny didn't use cellphones, it wasn't that she didn't like them, it was more that she hadn't met any friends to call or text to._

_So, she only used it in emergencies. There were two numbers on there, aside from the normal 9-1-1, that she could call in an emergency. Her mother's and Elijah's._

_Though, Elijah's number was never called, her mother insisted that she had it on there. Something told her in her gut that this wasn't going to end well._

_Slowly, she headed downstairs where her mother was waiting by the door, car keys in hand. Jenny blinked, trying to keep her arms from shaking._

_"Where are we going?" Jenny breathed after a few moments, her mother only opening the door and motioned for her to follow. Jenny hesitated for a few moments before she followed her out into the night, towards the small car._

_Tasha got into the driver's seat, Jenny getting into the back. She waited until the car started up, her mother started to drive._

_"Where are we going?" Jenny asked, her heart beating harshly in her chest._

_Her mother made no attempt to answer, turning onto a road and started to drive up towards a park._

_"Mom!" Jenny called, panic starting to build in her, "where are we going? Answer me!"_

_"A better place," her mother said, she looked at her in the rear view mirror, a smile on her face, "a better place for both of us. We are in too deep with this one, Jen, I'm sorry for inviting all of this into your life."_

_"Inviting what?" Jenny questioned, reaching into her pocket carefully to pull out the cellphone._

_Her mother just kept driving, Jenny not too sure where she was driving to, but she needed to get out of the car. She was scared about what her mother was going to do._

_She clicked the phone to life, the light dull as her mother had told her to keep it._

_"In case you are ever kidnapped," she remember her mother saying, "the low light might be able to allow you to get a text to someone..."_

Never thought I would be using it on you, Mom._ Jenny thought, clicking on Elijah's name and started typing out the message very carefully._

I really hope you are near my house right now. Something is wrong with mom, from what I can tell we are heading towards the park near my home. Do not call me. Help.

_She sent the message, hoping that Elijah was able to get it on time. She looked up at her mother for a few moments, then outside. It wasn't long before her mother pulled up towards a part of the park, Jenny's legs shaking as she watched her mother get out of the car. She felt compelled to follow her outside, Jenny deciding that it would take too long for help from Elijah. He wouldn't be able to do much, couldn't he?_

_He seemed human, a little intimidating, but human. Still, her mother depended on him. He might be able to stop her, but he would be too late if she tried something dangerous._

_So, she called the police. She wouldn't be able to talk to them, but they might be able to hear what was going on. Send someone out, at least._

_"Jenny," Tasha sighed, turning to look at her, "I hoped that you would be able to get out of this, but I realize now that you won't."_

_"Get out of what?" Jenny asked, her voice shaking._

_"I'm sorry," her mother said quietly, little emotion on her face. Jenny was going to ask more questions, but it seemed to happen too fast to catch exactly what happened before she felt it._

_She saw her mother pull out something, a loud bang filling the night, and Jenny landed on the hard ground below her. Sharp pain shot through her stomach, the pain was so bad she almost didn't hear the gun go off again. Her mother dropped to the ground also, Jenny starting to black out._

_Regret washed through her, confusion also._

_She should have seen this coming, she shouldn't have done anything. Refused to even get into the car._

_As blackness gripped at her mind, she hoped that her mother's "better place" was what she hoped it would be._


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the feedback! Here is the next chapter. It's a little dark, the next ones being a little dark as well, but they all won't be that way. **

* * *

**Relative**

**Chapter Two.**

When Jenny came to, it wasn't slow or calm. She woke with a gasp, her back arching slightly. A machine beside her beeping wildly, nurses running in from where they were before she woke up. Her eyes were wide open, the bright lights on the ceiling making her eyes burn and throb.

But, there was something down her throat. She felt panic bubble up on her, her hand reaching up to remove the device she was sure she was choking on.

"...Jenny, you need to relax," the voice of a nurse broke through to her, "you're okay. We are going to remove the respirator from your mouth, alright?"

All Jenny could do was nod her head sharply, gagging once she felt the tube being removed from her throat. She gasped in some air, her thoughts dazed and slow. She had no idea where she was, but something was wrong if she was in the hospital.

A flash of the park came to her mind, the gunshot and the pain. Slowly, Jenny lowered her hand and felt the gown she was dressed in. There was some bandages across her stomach and chest.

"What happened?" Jenny asked, not recognizing her own voice. It was horse and slightly raspy.

"You shouldn't speak for a while-" the nurse started to say, but Jenny cut her off.

"What happened to me? My mother?" she demanded, the nurse pausing. Her face seemed to fall slightly, she nodded her head.

"You were in a medical induced sleep for a few days, to help you heal. Do you remember what happened to you?"

"I was shot," Jenny said, her hand still resting under the blanket and on her chest. She felt no pain, but the rest of her world seemed a little groggy and her brain was having a bit of trouble recalling what happened to her.

"Yes, once in the stomach and once in the chest," the nurse said, her voice careful. Jenny frowned and shook her head.

"I don't remember getting shot in the chest," she remarked, the nurse nodding her head.

"You were, but you will be making a full recovery from what we have seen so far," the nurse said, walking towards her bed, "you should be resting now, though."

"What happened to my mother?" Jenny asked, almost dreading the answer. She was pretty sure she remembered her fall to the ground, though they might have been able to save her.

She watched the nurse's face fall slightly again, a look in her eyes telling her the answer. Jenny stared, her mouth slightly open.

"No, she can't..."

"I'm sorry," the nurse said, quiet, "the doctors did everything they could, but the injury to her brain was too great and she didn't make it."

Jenny looked away, her body shaking slightly. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't bring herself to do so at that moment. She felt numb, Jenny not sure if it was the shock of it all or the drugs the nurse was trying to give her through the IV.

"Was there anyone else that was there?" Jenny asked, leaning back slightly.

"Well, there is a man that has been checking up on you everyday since you arrived," the nurse said, "he should be here soon now that you are awake."

Jenny leaned back on the hospital bed, trying to take in everything. Jenny told the nurse that she didn't feel any pain at the moment, and the nurse left her for a while and said she would be back later to give her another dosage of pain killers.

Thoughts raced through her head as she lay in the hospital bed, emotion starting to finally build in her chest. Her mother was dead, Jenny still being confused as to why she would try to kill her, but the fact of it all seemed to have finally caught up with her.

Tears started to dot her eyes, casting a slight fog over her vision. She raised her free hand to wipe the tears away, taking a steadying breath.

_This isn't happening, _she thought to herself as she looked down at her hands resting against the pale blue blankets of the hospital bed. She heard someone enter the room, her eyes looking up from the blanket to the doorway.

Elijah stood in one of his suits, there was some emotion on his face, but Jenny couldn't quite read it properly. Jenny gripped the blankets slightly, watching him enter the room. She wanted to say something, anything. But, there was rage building inside her.

"This is your fault," Jenny stated, the words leaving her mouth without really having any control over it. Her voice was low, a sharpness to it.

The question seemed to catch him off guard, but he recovered a bit too quickly for Jenny to completely know if it did or not.

"I'm sorry, Jenny," he said, Jenny staring at him with glossy eyes. She kind of expected him to deny it, though she wasn't sure if the sorry was him accepting her statement or that he was sorry for her loss.

Jenny just shook her head, feeling sleepy. "Where do I go now?" she asked, mostly to herself, "where the _hell_ do I go now? I don't have any aunts or uncles on my mother's side, my mother didn't marry..."

"You will be staying with me," Elijah stated, Jenny turning to look at him.

"I'm not going to stay with you," Jenny said, Elijah leaning back in his seat slightly.

"You have nowhere else to go," Elijah stated in that damn voice of his, Jenny finding it frustrating in this situation. The indifference in his voice only added to her rage, seeing as he was the one who caused all the problems with her mother.

They were fine before he showed up, her mother not preforming magic and she was able to be that woman that Jenny was missing at that moment.

"And I owe your mother this," Elijah continued, Jenny staring at him. "It was part of our deal."

"You don't even want to take care of me," Jenny stated, "I'm some consequence to this deal you made with my mother."

"Would you rather stay in a home?" Elijah asked, Jenny looking away from him. Slowly, she shook her head. He was right, she had nowhere else to go. She just didn't want to be some charity case, a burden.

She shifted, sharp pain shooting through her stomach and chest. She could feel her heart racing, her teeth clenching in pain. She let out a small painful grunt, she felt a hand on her shoulder pushing her down on the bed again.

"You shouldn't move," Elijah stated, glancing towards the hall where some of the nurses and doctors were walking around, "I'll go get a nurse."

"She tried to kill me," Jenny stated, causing Elijah to pause at the end to look back at her, "she said something about a _better place_ for the both of us. She didn't want this to happen, she was hoping I would die, too."

"You should get some rest," Elijah said, turning and leaving the room. Jenny watched the doorway as a nurse walked in, a smile on her face. She said some soothing words, lowering the bed down so Jenny was laying down.

Sleep came easily as the drugs kicked in, a part of Jenny wondering if Elijah walked back in the doorway after he left.

* * *

He did stay, much to Jenny's relief and dismay. It was a week before she was clear to leave the hospital, Jenny getting into Elijah's vehicle. Though, she didn't remember most of the drive, her mind drifting in and out of sleep.

When she woke up, though, she was laying in an unfamiliar room. Some part of her wanting to get up and figure out where she was, but her body was in no shape to do so. She was in some serious pain, making tears prickle in her eyes.

"'Lijah! Someone!" she called out, turning her head towards the doorway of the bedroom. A few moments later, a man walked into her room, a white pill bottle and a glass of water in hand.

"You're awake," he remarked, smiling at her slightly as he twisted off the cap of the bottle and emptied two pills onto the palm of his hand.

"Who are you?" Jenny asked, slightly out of breath.

"Gavin," the man stated, holding out his hand to give her the pills, "I'm supposed to watch you while Elijah deals with some business in the town a few hours away. He should be back by nightfall, apparently."

Jenny took the pills from him, putting them in her mouth and taking down the glass of water. She swallowed them down and laid back down on the comfortable bed.

"If you need anything else, just give me a shout again," Gavin said, placing the pills down on the nightstand. She watched him leave the room, the pills starting to take effect a few minutes after. Jenny turned her head to look at the pill bottle on the nightstand for a few moments, the thought of taking a handful of them at once crossed her mind.

But, the numbness took over again and she ended up drifting into a dreamless sleep before she could act on that thought.


End file.
